“We started off and, in our first drive, we were already getting him hit. He didn’t stand a chance of getting settled in and getting into a rhythm. It was early and often out there. It’s a pretty terrible feeling to be part of an O-line that got your quarterback killed like that.” — Brendon LaBatte on June 21
Things have changed since the first day of summer.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders surrendered three sacks to the Ottawa Redblacks on June 21, when the Redblacks defeated the visitors 40-17.
Ottawa defenders also laid some big hits on Roughriders quarterback Zach Collaros, who left the game in the second quarter. Collaros subsequently was placed on the six-game injured list with head and neck issues and missed Saskatchewan’s next four games.
The sacks the Roughriders gave up in Ottawa were three of the nine they allowed over their first four regular-season games. Over their past four games, however, the Roughriders have given up just one sack — and they now lead the league in that category.
“We’re still a work in progress,” guard Brendon LaBatte said after Thursday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “We’ll never be happy with where we’re at.
“We have definitely taken a few steps forward and haven’t had to take any major ones back, so we’re definitely trending in the right direction. But as fast as things can turn and we start to feel like we’re doing a little bit better job, all it takes is one or two plays and we’re right back in the same boat.”
The Roughriders enter Saturday’s game against the host B.C. Lions having allowed 10 sacks this season, but Saskatchewan quarterback Zach Collaros hasn’t been felled in either of the past two games. Those contests were against the Edmonton Eskimos (who went into Week 11 tied for the CFL lead with 22 sacks) and the Calgary Stampeders (who now sit fifth in the league with 17 sacks).
The O-line’s performances of late is a source of pride for 
its members.
“If we give up six sacks, we feel like garbage,” centre Dan Clark said. “But if you walk out of a game (without giving up a sack) and nothing is said about it, it doesn’t matter either. You know you kept your quarterback clean and they’re happy. They can read everything, feel like there’s time, get the ball off and feel comfortable. That’s all we want.”
In LaBatte’s mind, the difference in the offensive line’s play from the first four games to the last four games rests in better fundamentals and better schemes.
After surrendering two sacks to the Toronto Argonauts on June 15, three to Ottawa on June 21, one to the Montreal Alouettes on June 30 and three to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on July 5, the Roughriders’ O-line changed some things up.
That, LaBatte said, gave the linemen “a little bit of a different outlook on things.”
“I think everybody is starting to get a little more comfortable and confident with the guys around them and how we’re going to communicate things,” added the veteran guard, whose group last gave up a sack on July 28 against Calgary.
“The comfort level has definitely increased and guys are starting to trust the guys beside them as well as what the coaches are telling them a little bit more.”
Clark concurred.
“It’s no secret recipe; it’s just all being on the right page,” he said. “It’s not that we prepare any differently. It’s just about doing your job.
“You can’t worry about what else is happening around you or what else is happening with another player, it’s about trusting the player beside you and knowing that he’s going to be there. At the start of the season, we were worried about other things. Now we’re focused on just doing our jobs.”
The Roughriders’ running backs have been pitching in with the protection, while the quarterbacks have been trying to do their part. Collaros noted the communication from O-line coach Stephen Sorrells to Clark to the QBs and backs has been exceptional.
That has kept Collaros upright over the past two games.
“Dan is getting us in the right protections and guys are doing their jobs,” Collaros said. “A lot of sacks happen because the quarterback holds the ball too long. For me, it’s getting the ball out on time and getting through my reads.”
In a recent tweet, former Roughriders guard Chris Best theorized that the knee injury LaBatte suffered July 5 in Hamilton “galvanized the guys and they’ve been on another level since.”
LaBatte, who returned to that game and hasn’t missed any time since, doesn’t believe his knee has had anything to do with the O-line’s play.
“Truthfully, we had hit rock bottom early in the year and everybody had to look at themselves and ask, ‘What more can I do to be better on game day?’ ” he said. “Collectively, everybody has done that as an individual and as a group.
“We’ve increased meeting times and we’ve cleaned up some communication and scheme stuff, so that has helped when it comes to the busts. In terms of the physical one-on-ones, you’ve got to take that upon yourself after you get it hung on you two or three times to show that’s not who you are as a player — and that’s not how the season is going to go.”
